LOCAL ELECTIONS SCHOOL BOARD : Las Virgenes’ Direction Is the Issue

The race for the majority three seats on the Las Virgenes school board may turn on whether voters want to significantly alter the district.

Of the nine candidates, five have said they would not make fundamental changes at the Las Virgenes Unified School District, where a reputation for excellence and students’ high test scores has helped attract families to the area.

Those candidates, including incumbents Judy Jordan and Barbara Bowman-Fagelson, say raising more money and minor administrative and curriculum changes could improve the district. They also say parents are generally pleased with the education of their children.

Three other candidates, however, have said at public forums and interviews that they support major changes at the 10,600-student district.

Bank officer Joanna Lofaso, attorney Gary Rafferty and clinical psychologist Kim B. Barrus each said they are in favor of scaling back sex and AIDS education, a “return to traditional values” and increased autonomy from the district for all schools.

They also said they would support the teaching of creationism, the Biblical theory that the universe was created in six days, as an alternative to lessons about evolution.

Rafferty and Lofaso said they support Proposition 174, the school voucher measure. The other candidates oppose it.

A ninth candidate, Robert Oserin, announced he has withdrawn from the race, though his name will appear on Tuesday’s ballot.

Attorney Robert Mark Freedman has said half-jokingly at forums that he might not have entered the race if he had known the field of candidates would be so large. He apparently was referring to the 1991 race, in which only two candidates ran for two seats on the board.

But this year, he said, if voters are simply looking for someone who is “honest and intelligent,” they should choose him.

Certified public accountant Adrian B. Stern and teaching consultant Charlotte Meyer, the two top fund-raisers with war chests of $7,356 and $6,694, respectively, tout their professional backgrounds as potential assets to the board.

Stern said his financial background could help steer the district through tough fiscal times. He proposed, among other things, the seeking of private funds to benefit the district. Meyer said her work with teachers makes her a natural for the board. She suggested extending the summer reading program to include all students and improving the computer curriculum.

Bowman-Fagelson has run on her knowledge of the district gained during her two terms in office and eight years of attendance at board meetings before she became a member.

Jordan, who also has near-perfect attendance at meetings during her four years on the board, suggested establishing a private foundation to seek extra money for the schools.